From Ashes
by Thessian Shadow
Summary: Tevos exhaled, the name she had not spoken aloud in nearly three years drifting from her lips like a feather set free on the spring wind.


**From Ashes  
**_Excerpt_

**A/N:** This is simply a teaser chapter for an upcoming fic I'm working on. It still follows the Femshep/Tevos pairing like my other fic "When All Was Lost". This is part of an AU of that fic starting from ME1. I need opinions on this, so let me know how it is :)

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Back facing the door, she stood leaning slightly forward. The tip of her crest, normally pointing backwards, was more angled toward the high ceiling of the office. Hands trembled as they hung over the railing that separated her from the long drop down to the lake on the Presidium. It had been over two years, and yet the old wounds had been ripped open again. She had stood in the council chambers, looking into the human councilor's office, and it was as if nothing had changed; time standing still.

She had entered with that same purposeful stride. The N7 armor glinting black and red as she approached the three holos of the councilors. Anderson had simply stood there as if nothing was amiss. Inside, Tevos had felt her heart wrenching in her ribcage. The cold chills that had shaken her to her core going unnoticed by the others. Shepard was alive.

Eyes fixed on the buildings across the vast span of water; she didn't hear the door behind her as it opened. All the words that she had wanted to say had been snuffed out by what the others expected her to say. They existed in her head, playing over and over again. Each time, they grew louder, until her own voice was too deafening to ignore. Jaw firmly clenched, she focused on the gentle sounds of the view ahead: People talking, birds singing, and water lapping at the lake's borders. Her own breathing was a give-away as far as the turmoil brewing just below the surface. Choked and uneven, she had to will herself to calm down, but it was all for nothing.

Tevos' breath caught in her throat as a hand rested on her slender shoulder. Not daring to turn to face what she was sure wasn't really there, she waited; expecting the feeling to pass and the emptiness to return. When another hand rested at her waist, she tensed; this had happened a few times before. For over two years it had resulted in her waking in her bed alone, those same wounds revealing themselves after such a tormenting memory. The warm breath against the folds of sensory skin at the base of her neck only made it worse. Eyes closing, she bowed her head further, struggling to swallow. A lump had formed in her throat where that breath had caught and festered. In a shaky release, she felt a body press against hers from behind.

A tentative breath escaped her lips as her body overrode her mind's logic. Every fiber of her conscience screamed that this couldn't be happening, but the sensations that she was feeling stated otherwise. As the one hand traveled slowly down her left arm from where it had first landed on her shoulder, warmth spread through it wherever the hand made contact; the other hand remained stationary at her waist. She released an audible gasp as lips grazed the lowest part of her neck that was not hidden by her clothing. Slowly but surely, they worked their way up, each kiss becoming stronger. Soon, Tevos found herself gripping the steel railing; clinging to it like it was her one link to reality, but even that was fading. Shivering violently as the last kiss was placed just below her jaw, she was prepared to turn, to face what she knew was the empty void that would bring her back to a cold reality. Feeling her shoulder gently pulled, she spun fluidly, feeling those same arms wrapping around her again.

Fingers within the grooves of her crest, Tevos had closed her eyes, not wanting this perceived dream to end. When she felt those same familiar lips take hers, she lost all that was left of a mental hold. The office that she knew lay beyond her closed eyelids disappeared; replaced by another place and time almost three years earlier.

_"You are leaving in the morning..."_ Words no louder than a whisper as she lay there, arms wrapped around the human, she had dreaded the answer she knew was coming.

_"Yeah."_ The slight rough edge to Shepard's voice due to its lack of use over the past few hours made her raise her head, placing a kiss against the human's neck. This resulted in Shepard turning her head, shaking the hair from her face, and allowing the asari's lips to gently merge with hers. Only when the kiss broke did she continue speaking, that rough edge still present. _"He wants us on the border of the Terminus systems as soon as possible. Hackett wasn't really in favor of this last stop by the Citadel..."_

_"Of course he wasn't,"_ Tevos raised a hand, allowing it to be immersed in Shepard's hair. _"He is still angered by your choice before..."_

_"He can get over it."_ Inhaling deeply, Shepard let her head fall back again, eyes focusing on the dark ceiling above. _"I know I made the right choice."_

_"There are no words to express my gratitude for the choice you made..." _Freeing her hand from the human's hair, Tevos brought it up, caressing the side of Shepard's face, which brought a chill to the commander. _"And for your actions in the weeks to follow."_

_"I don't know which one of us benefited more from it, to be honest..."_ The mischievous look that passed over Shepard's face made the councilor straighten up so that she could get a better look at the other woman. This gave Shepard the advantage she was looking for. Reaching out, she wrapped her arms firmly around the asari, practically lifting her so that Tevos was parallel to the human. Blue palms pressed down into the bed on either side of Shepard's body, keeping the councilor just inches away from full bodily contact. Hands easing their way back up the asari's arms, Shepard felt the gentle weight as Tevos leaned down, kissing her relentlessly; their bodies easily crashing against each other. Bringing out sharp inhalations from both parties, this deepened their kiss. Two hands found new resting places; one easily entangled itself back into Shepard's hair, palm resting against the back of her skull, while the other assumed its former position, encasing the side of the human's face.

Breaking only for air, Shepard pushed herself up with one hand, bringing Tevos into something of a kneeling position. With deep and calming breaths, she assaulted the asari's shoulder blade, trailing kisses from its outmost point inward with the aim of reaching her neck. Tevos looked down, the hand that had cradled Shepard's face now moving downward; arm wrapping around the human's torso, pulling her closer. With each kiss, Tevos felt her heartbeat increase in speed and strength; it thundered as Shepard's lips made contact with her neck. As Shepard moved upward, agonizingly slowly, toward her jawline, Tevos craned her neck, face upturned to the ceiling above. Artificial moonlight from the window nearest them outlined her form, jaw clenched and teeth bared in ecstasy.

When Shepard reached Tevos lips again, the councilor gently pushed the human back down. Her eyes, once the color of steel in the moonlight, were now black; the councilor's biotics flaring in the beginnings of a meld. Shepard let go of everything, letting the sensations cascade over her as Tevos continued with her assault on Shepard's mouth. A battle of tongues soon gave way to erratic breathing as Tevos collapsed against Shepard; the meld still active, the pair reveled in the simple feel of skin on skin. Before giving into the lulling comfort of the Spectre's arms, Tevos whispered one request.

_"Come back to me."_

"I have."

Back pressed against the railing, Tevos was shaken from her memories by that simple statement. Eyes snapping open, she was met with the face of the one she had just left in her thoughts. Still feeling her hands pressed against the back of the human before her, she buried her face in the uniform-clad shoulder. Feeling a hand glide up her back and merge itself in the ridges of her crest, Tevos breathed in the familiar scent, memorized every last sensation, burning it into her mind. Feeling the gentle pressure of the human's chin on her shoulder, Tevos exhaled, the name she had not spoken aloud in nearly three years drifting from her lips like a feather set free on the spring wind.

"Shepard."


End file.
